Sometimes, all it takes is one sweet tweet to make a dream come true.
Social media has served as a facilitator for small doughnut shops to draw big crowds on multiple occasions. Last fall, a hole in the wall cafe in Seal Beach, California, began to sell out early every morning when a note to help the owners went viral on Facebook. Earlier this year, a gourmet doughnut maker had even longer lines out the door when patrons discovered he prevailed after a near-death experience.
And on Sunday, Billy's Donuts, a little pastry shop about 20 miles outside Houston, saw a surge in business after a son's simple tweet.
"My dad is sad cause no one is coming to his new donut [sic] shop," the owner's son, Billy By, tweeted on Saturday. The post was accompanied by the wailing emoji and photos of his father behind the counter with a dour expression; the empty parking lot with a large grand opening sign dangling in the background and, of course, a close up of some delicious-looking glazed doughnuts.
As of Monday, the post had over 280,000 retweets, including one from Oscar-nominated actor James Woods, and 608,000 likes.
Thousands of tweeters were moved by Billy's caring post.
And those who visited were grateful to share in Billy's happiness.
By Sunday afternoon, Billy updated followers that the shop had sold out of doughnuts and kolaches.
"You are all amazing. I can't thank everyone enough for coming out and supporting local businesses. This means so much to my family," he wrote.
It seems like the shop's success was not limited to the weekend.
Twitter itself even stopped by Monday morning to kick off its work week with a doughnut.
Perhaps it was sympathy for a such a sad and simple post, or maybe it was just the sweet treats behind the counter that brought people in droves. Whatever it is, mom and pop doughnut stores that need a little love have been getting a sweet boost from caring patrons through social media.
